Automatic punching machine



lDec. 5, 1944. l. GHERTMAN 2,364,207

AUTOMATIC -PUNCI'IING MACHINE Filed Jan. so, 1941 v` Tij-l;

NVENTOR By v i vaccumula/tors to obtain totals or balances.

Patented Dec. 5, 1944 AUTOMATIC PUNCHING MACHINE ,Ioino Ghertman, St. Mande, France, assignor to International Business Machines Corporation, New York, N1 Y., a corporation of New York Application January 30, 1941, Serial No. 376,597 In France February 26, 1940 3 Claims.

This invention relates to accounting machines and more particularly to machines of the record controlled type. The invention relates to improvements to an automatic punching machine of the type disclosed inPatent 2,104,542, granted January 4, 1938, to C. D. Lake.

An object oi the invention is to improve the prior machine so that a saving in time and mechanism may be accomplished in the performance of the functions of the machine. Reference may be had to the patent referred to for an undery standing of the operation of an'automatic punching-machine which` brieiiy, is as follows:

Perforated record cards are fed through the machine and during so-calledcard feeding cycles data is derived from the cards and entered into Upon completion oi the sensing of a group of cards, socalled group control mechanism will come into action to bring about total taking operations or the machine may be caused to stop so that such further operation may be manually initiated. An auxiliary punching machine is provided which is brought into action upon the completion oi card feeding operations, and under control of the,

accumulator it will punch on a so-called summary card the total standing in the accumulator. Prior to this, the total printing mechanism is brought into action and this is also controlled by the accumulator to print the total standing therein.' The tabulating and punching machines are.

driven by separate motors and their separate operations are accordingly not synchronous, and it is required that the punching and printing operations take place in succession in order that they may be properly controlled by the common accumulator. 4

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide an arrangement whereby a single accumulator may concurrently control the operation of the non-synchronous printing and punching mechanism with a consequent saving in machine operation time.

A specic object of theinvention is to reorganizev the total printing and punching circuits of an automatic punching machine, so that print and punch controlling circuits may be completed through an accumulator concurrently to control non-synchronous printing and punching mechanisms during a single cycle `of operations.

Other objects of the invention will be pointed out in the following description and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which discloses, by Way of example, the principle of the invention and the best mode, which has been contemplated, of applying that principle.

In the drawing:

Fig.l l is a Wiring diagram of the improvements showing the manner in which they are applied to the prior art machine.

Fig. 2 is a timing diagram of the controlling impulse emitters for the printing and punching mechanisms.

The tabulating machine The automatic punching machine of the Lake Patent 2,104,542 comprises two mechanically independent units known as the tabulating machine and the punching machine, each'with its own independent driving motor. That for the punching machine is designated M. In the tabulating machine are two motors designated TM and RM shown in Fig. '7 of the patent. When motor TM is in operation, record cards are fed singly past sensing brushes and the data thereon entered into an accumulating mechanism, wherein a setting is eiTected representing the total amount entered in the accumulator.

The mechanism upon which the total is represented is diagrammatically represented in Fig. 1 where 50 represents brushes which are diiierentially displaced by the action of the accumulator to take a position bridging individual commutator segments 49 and common conducting strips 52. A set of digital segments 49 and a common conducting strip 52 are provided for each denominational order of the accumulator as indicated in the four orders shown, so that, where a total of 2851 is entered into the accumulator, the brushes 50 in the rela-ted orders Will be positioned as shown in Fig. 1. Inasmuch as the invention relates only t0 the devices for reading out the totals standing inthe accumulator, it is 'not necessary to describe in detailthe detailed manner in which the brushes 50 are displaced as they might obviously be manually adjusted.

The tabulating machine also contains printing mechanism containing type bars which are moved to cause digit representing type to successively pass a printing position. Print controlling magnets H are provided which, when energized, will interrupt the type. bars and the particular type selected for printing willdepend upon the timing of energization. of the print magnet Il. This printing mechanism is shown in detail inFig. 1 of the Lake patent and is driven during total printing operations froma motor` RM which drives the printing mechanism through a clutch controlled by a magnet |08. Suffice itto say-, that with motor RM in operation'energization of magnet |03 will cause the printing mechanism'- to operate. During the operation of this printing mechanism, the controlling shaft 25 is" rotated, and this shaft has a commutator brush 56 which makes connection between commutator segments 51 and a common conductor 59.

The operation of the brush 56 is synchronous with the printing mechanism so that the brush contacts the segments 5l in the order 9, 8, '7, 6, etc. as the corresponding type elements arrive at the printing position. To control the printing circuits, a generator is provided for the purpose of the present invention. This generator is driv-en from the motor RM and has its positive side 0| connected to the segmentv 59 and its negative side |02 connected to the print controlling magnets The segments 51 are connected by wires |03 to the corresponding commutator segments 49. As brush 56 rotates, circuits Will be completed to the print magnets at time dependent upon the setting of the brushes For example, when brush 56 is at the 8 segment 51, a circuit is traceable from generator |00, wire 0|, segment 59, brush 56, 8 segment 51, the 8 Wire |03, 8 segments 49, brush 50 in the hundreds order, segment 52 in the hundreds order, wire |04, a rectifier or unidirectional current ow unit |05, print magnet wire |02, to generator |00.

Energizationof magnet at this time will interrupt its related type bar to position the 8 type element for printing. There is a parallel connection from wire |04 which extends to a rectifier |06 and thence to a punch selecting magnet 16. This magnet 16, however, is not energized through the circuit traced as the rectier or unidirectional current flow unit |96 does not permit the current running from the positive side of generator |00 to pass through the magnet in this direction, whereas the rectifier |05 does permit such passage of current. The rectifier |06 is provided so that current cannot branch to the common wire I|3 and from there back through. all the other magnets 16 and energize the remaim'ng magnets I at the 8 time, which would occur if the rectifiers |06 were not present.

Punching machine The magnets 16 are contained in the punching mechanism which is operated by the motor M through clutch mechanism controlled by the magnet 92. For the purposes of the present invention, the clutch mechanism is modified so as to engage upon energization of magnet 92. preferably by making the clutch driving and driven parts like those in the tabulating machine so that, when magnets |08 and 92 are concurrently energized, their driven elements Will start to move together. Reference to Fig. 1 of the Lake patent shows that the clutch in the tabulating machine is of the multiple tooth type and the modification of the clutch in the punching machine involves making the clutch also of the multiple tooth type instead of a single tooth clutch as in the patent. The particular form of clutch may vary, with the preference being that both clutches have multiple teeth so that, when the clutch magnets |0| and 92 are concurrently energized through key ||6 (Fig. l). the driven parts of their respective machines will commence moving together and the respective emitters will operate with the relative timing of Fig. 2. In this punching machine cards are adyanced past a row of punches and, depending upon the time of energization of the punch controlling magnets 16, perforations will be made in the card in accordance with the setting of the brushes 50. In the punching machine .is a commutator brush 62 Which rotates in synchronism with the passage of the card past the row of punches. This brush contacts commutator segments 63 in the order 9, 8, 7, etc. as the corresponding card positions are in line with thepunches, so that, for example, When the brush 62 is at the 8 segment 63, a circuit is traccable from generator ||0 driven by the motor M through negative line brush 62, 8 segment 63, 8 Wire |2, the 8 segments 49, brush 50 in the hundreds order, segment 52, rectifier |06, punch selecting magnet 16, positive line ||3, back to generator ||0. In this case the current is permitted to flow to magnet 16 through the rectifier |06 but the parallel circuit through the magnet is prevented by the rectiiier |05 which does not permit the current to flow therethrough from the negative line to the positive line ||3. The rectifier |05 is provided so that current cannot branch to the common wire |02 and from there back through all the other magnets and energize the remaining magnets 16 at the 8 time, Which would occur if the rectiers |05 Were not present. In the Lake patent, after a setting of the brushes 50 has been effected, the printing machine was sent through a cycle of operations to print the amount and thereafter the punching mechanism was sent through a cycle of operations to punch the amount.

With the provision of the rectiiers or unidirectional current ovv devices |65, |06, the printing and punching circuits may be completed concurrently i, e., during a single cycle or operation, even though the two machines are nonsynchronous in their operation. In Fig. 2 is shown diagrammatically the relative timing of the two machines. Along the upper line shown the interval at which the segments 51 of thc `print commutator are contacted during a complete revolution` and on the lower line is shown the interval during which the punch commutator segments are contacted during the shorter cycle of the punching machine.

Concurrent printing and punching operations In Fig. 1 there is represented diagrammatic means for concurrently initiating an operation of the printing and punching devices. Pairs of contacts I4 and l5 are provided which, when a key ||6 is operated, are simultaneously closed to energize their clutch controllingmagnets |08 and 92 respectively. These magnets correspond to similarly identified magnets in the Lake patent and each will bring about an operation of its related printing and punching mechanism during which the two commutator brushes 56 and 62 are rotated, each at its own rate as represented in Fig. 2. Thus, during the rotation of brush 56 circuits Will be completed through the displaced brushes 50 as already traced to energize the print magnets and such circuits will not affect the punch controlling magnets 16. During the same cycle and at the times indicated along the lower line of Fig. 2, the brush 62 Will complete circuits as traced to energize the punch selecting magnets 16 and these circuits, because of the provision of the unidirectional current flow devices |05, 06, will not affect the print controlling magnets Additional contacts are diagrammatically represented at ||1 and ||8, so that, if desired, the printing clutch magnet |08 or the punch controlling clutch magnet 92 may be independently operated for special purposes.

The provision of the unidirectional current flow devices |05, |06 thus considerably shortens the total time of Operation required for the sensing of a group of record cards and the ultimate punching and printing of the total obtained in the accumulator, in that where heretofore the punching and total printing were necessarily effected in succession, they may,'in accordance with the present invention, be effected concurrently, i. e., during a, single concurrent operation of the printing and punching mechanism.

While there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single modification, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art Without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention therefore to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims. l

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine of the class described having a readout device comprising a plurality of contact segments, one for each digit, a common conductor and a. wiper positionable to connect any digital segment with said conductor to represent a digit, in combination with an emitter, means including said emitter for sending an impulse of positive polarity to each of said segments in turn,

a second emitter, means including said second emitter for sending an impulse of negative polarity to each of said segments in turn, a pair of magnets, a connection from each magnet to said said magnets to the corresponding impulse sending means.

2. The invention set forth in claim 1 in which means is provided for causing bothv emitters to operate concurrently so that while impulses are being sent by one emitter to some of the digital segments, impulses from the other emitter are being sent to others of the digital segments.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, a printing machine for printing representations of digits, a punching machine for punching representations of digits, separate driving means for each, a readout device comprising a plurality of 'contact segments one for each digit, a common conductor, a wiper positionable to connect any digital segment with said conductor to represent a digit, an emitter in the printing machine, means including said emitter for sending an impulse of one polarity to each of said segments in turn, an emitter in the punching machine, means including said second emitter for sending an impulse of opposite polarity to each of said segments in turn, a print selecting magnet in the printing machine, a punch selecting magnet in the punching machine, a connection from each magnet to said common conductor, each connection containing a unidirectional cuiirent iiow device through which the magnets will be energized in accordance with the value of the digit represented, one magnet under control of the impulse from the one emitter and the other magnet under control of the impulse from the second emitter, and separate return circuits for connecting each of said magnets to the corresponding impulse sending means.

IOINO GHERTMAN. 

